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Officers from the Environment Office of Surabaya city and members of Nol Sampah Community hand over eco-friendly shopping bags to visitors at Pucang Market, Surabaya city, East Java province, on April 13, 2022. (ANTARA/HO-Communication and Informatics Office of Surabaya City/uyu) - 

The Environment Office (DLH) of Surabaya City, East Java Province, and the Nol Sampah (Zero Waste) Community intensified the disbursal of non-plastic bags to market visitors as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste.

Coordinator of the Nol Sampah Community, Wawan Some, said here on Friday that the activity was also aimed at disseminating the Surabaya Mayor’s Regulation (Perwali) Number 16 of 2022 concerning Reducing the Use of Plastic Bags in Surabaya City, which took effect on April 9, 2022.

"It is because the dissemination is focused on encouraging buyers to bring their own eco-friendly shopping bags," he added.

Information regarding the regulation was disseminated at Pucang Market and Dukuh Kupang Market on April 13, 2022, he informed. The activity will also be conducted in other markets throughout the city.

He said that in addition to handing out non-plastic bags to market visitors found carrying plastic bags, his group will help them to transfer their groceries to non-plastic bags.

While transferring the groceries, the group will educate visitors regarding the importance of reducing plastic waste, he said.

Plastic waste does not decompose easily and the process takes hundreds of years, Some noted. Meanwhile, burning waste involves a high cost as incinerating one ton of plastic waste requires 12 barrels of oil.

It is hoped that, in the future, traders in the market will no longer provide plastic bags, he said.

"Hence, the regulation is also required to be disseminated to buyers," he added.

However, plastic bags without handles can still be used as containers since a number of commodities are still allowed to be packaged in them, head of infrastructure and waste division at the office, Arif Sugiarto, informed.

"Plastic bags with handles are the ones prohibited under the regulation," he clarified.

Traders who sell wet commodities, such as meat or fish, are allowed to provide plastic bags, he added//ANT